Love's Recovery
by pandorabox82
Summary: Serena finds herself adrift after Bernie leaves, and yet upon her return, seems unable to deal with it in a healthy way. Will they be able to recover what they once had?
1. Chapter 1

"Pull yourself together, Campbell," she whispered for what seemed like the thousandth time as she wiped the copious tears from beneath her eyes. It felt like her heart just wasn't listening to her brain, however, since things just did not seem to be improving, no matter what she told herself. "Come on, it's not going to be as hard as yesterday. And you are one day closer to her coming home."

 _And a worse sort of agony_ , her heart chose to whisper to her mind, and she shook her head, letting the tears fly in the enclosed space of her vehicle. Finally, she felt in control enough to actually get out of the car and face the day, glad for the cutting wind that would give her a cover for her red eyes.

It figured that Hanssen would be the one to meet her at the elevator, and she gave him a weak smile as they stepped inside. "Good morning, Ms. Campbell. I trust that you had a good evening."

"Yes, it was quiet, which is perfect, really. Gave me time to relax with a good book."

"I see. Any word from our major?"

She stiffened, wondering if he knew there was something going on between them. But that was ridiculous, if there truly had been anything between them, Bernie would have stayed when she had asked her to. "No, not yet. I assume that she's too busy to contact any of us just yet, you remember what it was like when we were setting up the trauma ward here. And since there's a bit of a language barrier, things must be taking longer. But she's brilliant, I'm certain that things will fall in place for her soon enough. And then, maybe, one of us will hear from her."

His eyes seemed to bore into her soul, and Serena couldn't stop the shiver that ran up and down her spine. "And you? How are you handling her absence?"

She paused before taking a deep breath, gripping her attaché case a little tighter. "It's rather more difficult than I thought it would be. Bernie has become rather indispensable to our little family. But as the weeks go by, we'll adjust. We have to."

To her shock, Hanssen reached out and rested his hand on her upper arm. "That is not what I asked, Ms. Campbell. I asked how you are handling her absence."

"I rather don't like where that question might lead, thank you very much."

And then, she found herself surprised by the man once more as he reached out and stopped the elevator. Turning to face her, Hanssen once more rested his hand on her upper arm and stared at her. There was nothing unkind in his gaze, but she still didn't feel completely comfortable opening up to the man who had sent the other half of her heart fourteen hundred miles away. "Serena, I can tell that you are struggling, and I am concerned."

To her horror, Serena's lower lip began to tremble beneath his scrutiny, and she pulled away from his touch in order to try and pull herself together. "I am going to be fine. I just need to recognize that our lives are not intertwined."

He sighed, a sad sound to her ears, and she swallowed thickly as the tenuous grip on her control began to break. "I will most likely only say this to you once and then disavow ever having intimated it in the first place. Love, when it comes to you, is worth holding on to, and even if it seems far away now, eventually it will return. She will return."

Serena closed her eyes as she nodded, and two fat tears dropped down onto her cheeks. Flicking them away angrily, she took a deep breath and met his eyes once more. "She couldn't even tell me those words. She cares for me. Cares! As if that is as deep as love."

"Maybe that was all she could tell you."

She gave a savage shrug as she reached out and started the elevator once more. "And maybe I needed more." The anger burned bright in her chest and she held onto it, needing that pain to remind her that she was still there, still alive, and her chin tipped upwards in defiance, as if she was willing Henrik to say something else to her. There was a long pause as his features softened into something that was infinitely sweeter than she had ever seen on his face before. "Don't, Henrik. Not now. Kindness is not my friend."

"Kindness suits you." Those were the last words he said to her as the elevator doors opened on AAU. She stepped out of the elevator briskly, nodding to Raf as she made her way to her office. There was some truth in Hanssen's words, she knew, but she wasn't quite ready to hear that from anyone.

With a disgusted sigh, she let her case thump to the ground as she sunk down into her chair. "This is not the way to keep things together, Campbell. And now Hanssen thinks he knows what was happening between you and her. That is a fine kettle of fish to land yourself in." Shaking her head, she booted up her computer and started to set her things out on her desk, needing the comfort of order.

A light knock on the door had her looking up to see Raf outside, an open smile on his lips. She beckoned him in with a wave of her hand before turning to her monitor and logging onto the system. "Good morning, Serena. Did you have a pleasant night?"

"I've had worse. Somehow, I became thoroughly engrossed with a trashy romance novel and stayed up entirely too late finishing it. Forgive me if I'm a little short today, as a result."

He shrugged as he took a seat in Bernie's chair, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at her, the smile never leaving his lips. "Oh, I don't think that could be possible, Serena. You've been in as good a mood as can be expected, as of late."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, the person you love is so very far away, and you have to wait here, patiently. That would take strength beyond measure to endure. Just, keep your chin up, okay?"

Serena let her face relax into a soft smile, thinking back to their almost kiss a few nights ago. "I'm trying, I really am. But it seems like the demons are only quiet when I offer them Shiraz."

Raf's brow knitted together as he reached across the desks to cover her hand with his. "That's not a particularly healthy coping mechanism."

"Perhaps. But it tastes good, and it's better for me than smoking." She took a deep breath. "And I think that I can recognize if things get out of control. Okay?"

"Okay." He didn't sound happy with his agreement, but still, she was glad to know that he would leave things be until she said so. And really, she had experience dealing with an alcoholic, given how Edward had thoroughly napalmed her life not so long ago. She raised an eyebrow as she looked at him, willing him to day more. "Just know, we're here for you, whenever you need a soft place to land. And before you argue that you're fine going alone, let me tell you – we all need a soft place to land. Everyone. And Fletch and I are not about to let you fall."

She pursed her lips together tightly, knowing that if she dared to speak in that moment it would only result in her sobbing. So she did the only thing she could do, nodding a little bit as she tried to force her lips into a smile as she focused on a spot on Raf's shoulder. He gently squeezed her hand, his thumb running over her knuckles as he tried to comfort her. The gesture was sweet, caring, and so like him, and she struggled to stay in control, knowing that her day was only just beginning.


	2. Chapter 2

It had felt so good to release her stranglehold on anger as she pressed send on the short email she had sent Bernie. Henrik's last gift to her had been the right email address for Bernie, and it had taken her too many hours to work up the courage to press the correct button. Still, she had sent it, and she could only hope that this would open some sort of dialogue between them.

And while Serena hadn't been expecting a quick reply, she had been hoping that she would hear something within the next day. And so her stomach started to knot in anxiety with each hour that passed and she hadn't heard from Bernie. Somehow, she had made it through two entire shifts, though she wasn't certain how, and when she finally stopped in her office after a particularly long surgery, she was not in the best of moods.

Opening her email, she wasn't expecting to see anything from Bernie, so the reply was a welcome sight. Smiling a little, she immediately clicked on the subject line, anticipation filling her very bones. That anticipation dissipated quickly when she saw that it was barely more than a line or two. Blinking slowly, she tried to clear her vision before focusing in on the words that were there.

 _I'm glad to know that I've been missed. I'll be home when I'm done here. I'm glad that you've finally decided to let go of your anger._

And that was it. No sign off, no warmth, nothing. It was fitting, really, since she had been so abrupt with Bernie, but it still stung a little. Deciding to take the tiny opening, Serena wrote back to Bernie, telling her about Imelda's visit, and how Jason had nattered on about her being ill. It felt good to get those words off her chest, since she hadn't found herself able to confide in anyone, now that Bernie was gone.

It was easier this time to press send, and she actually went home with a smile on her lips. Jason noticed the good mood immediately, and gave her a wide smile the moment she set supper on the table. "Did you hear from Bernie, then?" he asked as she took a seat across from him at the table.

"I did. She's incredibly busy, so she was only able to send me a quick email, but it was nice to have contact with her once more. Hopefully, I'll hear back sooner rather than later."

"And did she tell you when she planned on being home? I miss her."

Serena released a deep breath as she stared down at her plate. Fish and chips suddenly didn't look so appetizing, as she was starting to feel a bit queasy at his words. "Why would you miss her? You've barely talked to her."

"But you've talked about her enough that I feel like I know her better than any other person at the hospital. And it is clear that you care for her, so I was thinking that you cared for her. Maybe not in the same way that I care for her, since you kissed her." Jason fixed his unwavering gaze on her, and she blushed at his scrutiny. "So, do you know when she's planning on being home?"

She shook her head as she flaked off a piece of fish with her fork. "That will be the next thing I ask her, once she replies to my email, I promise." He nodded before giving her a wide, guileless, smile, and she returned the gesture. She picked at the rest of her meal before finally deciding herself done, pushing her plate away as she watched Jason finish. "So, what are we watching tonight?"

"There are a few quiz shows that I have queued up on the DVR, since I missed them last night while out with Alan. Unless you wanted to watch a movie, that is. I know that that might put you in a better mood."

"Really, Jason, are you still on this? I'm not at all grumpy today."

"Yes, you are." She glared at Jason for a heartbeat before trying to soften her expression into something that seemed less grumpy to her nephew.

"But I am content to watch the quiz shows with you, don't worry."

This seemed to mollify him, and he nodded a little before finishing his meal. As she curled up on the corner of the sofa, minutes after clearing away the dishes, Serena found that nothing could keep her concentration, and she pulled out her phone to check her emails, seeing nothing from Bernie. That still didn't stop her from then continuing to check her inbox every ten minutes, wishing and hoping that she would hear from the woman.

Still, she had to sit through an entire workday before she heard again from Bernie. The email was waiting for her, and a tiny smile curved Serena's lips upwards as she sank into her chair and settled her hand around her coffee mug, letting the warmth bleed into her skin.

 _I hope that you continue to work things out with Ms. Cousins, since it seems that you just can't help making a mess of things, can you?_

The mug dropped to the floor from her suddenly boneless fingers. There were more words written on the screen, but she couldn't read them, didn't want to read them. Anger had warped the fabric of their relationship too much, it seemed, and she yanked open the bottom desk drawer to pull out the bottle of Shiraz. Taking out the cork, she lifted the bottle to her lips, not even bothering with a glass, knowing that it would take too much time and effort.

Serena only came up for air after four long gulps. Shoving the cork back in, she placed the bottle back in its hiding space before standing and pulling on her coat. She would be of no more use in the office, that was for certain, and she made her way home stewing about the unkind words she had read. Bernie wasn't ever deliberately cruel, so she had been pushed to be that way, and Serena had been the pusher. Again, she had made a mess of her life, and she couldn't seem to find her way out of it this time.

Jason was in the kitchen, eating takeaway, when she entered, and he looked up in concern, which told her that she must really look awful. Unable to hide her feelings, she frowned deeply, which didn't stop him from opening his mouth. "So, did you ask Doctor Bernie when she was coming home? You said you would."

"No, Jason, I did not ask Bernie when she was coming home! She has yet to write me back, so she must be terribly busy. Now, I really must insist that you don't harp on this any farther! There's nothing I can do to get her to contact me!"

Jason gave her a hurt look, and she tried to ignore it as she sailed over to the fridge and opened the door, searching for something to ease her nerves. "I dumped the open wine, Auntie Serena. It just seems to make you more grumpy."

"You did what?" she hissed as she whirled around to glare at him, anger swelling to a crest in her breast.

"You heard me. You need to drink less, if Doctor Bernie is going to want to come home to you."

Serena shook with anger, but she pressed her lips together in order to keep from saying words that she would regret come the morning. "I'm going to bed," she finally bit out as she fled the room, the first damnable tears rolling down her face before she could escape his presence, and she slipped away from his questioning touch, knowing that she couldn't deal with this situation any longer. It was time for a change, but she didn't know if she had the courage to do so.


	3. Chapter 3

Serena woke up the next morning with a splitting headache. The painful throbbing had her hobbling over to the shower and stepping beneath the warm steam in an effort to relax the tension away. It seemed to do little good, however, as the ache was still there when she stepped out twenty minutes later.

Drying herself off, Serena assessed herself in the mirror, taking note of the fact that her eyes were still incredibly puffy from her crying jag last night, and that she looked so very tired, still. It made a sick sort of sense, since her limited sleep had been troubled, full of chaotic dreams where Bernie, Elinor, and Jason had taken turns destroying her heart and walking out on her. Sighing, she tossed the towel into the hamper before turning away from her reflection in disgust.

Serena padded back into her bedroom and picked out her clothing for the day. She had really become quite predictable in her clothing choices, wearing the same few things over and over, but she associated good memories with each blouse, could recall the happy times she had spent with Bernie for every single one. Knowing that there had to be something Bernie hadn't seen her in, she thumbed through to the back of her closet, finding the rich forest green ensemble that she hadn't worn in years.

Pulling it out, she quickly dressed before trudging back into the bathroom and applying some makeup, knowing that she had to cover up as much of the damage of her night as possible. And she remembered a little trick Elinor had taught her, for when she didn't want people to know how tired she was, and Serena smiled as she pulled out her deepest shade of lipstick, applying it to her lips thickly. It would hopefully do quite nicely to pull people's eyes to her lips when she wasn't in theatre. There was nothing she could do to account for that.

Applying one last swish of blush, she finally felt satisfied to go out and face her day. Heading downstairs, she was surprised to not see Jason at the table, eating his breakfast. Glancing outside, she saw that his car was gone, too. It wasn't like him to deviate from his normal schedule, even if he had started his new job as a porter, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was still smarting from their fight last night. Sighing, she opened the fridge and found that she had been left a bowl of yoghurt with granola and strawberries, and she struggled to keep from crying at the tender olive branch she had been offered by Jason.

Taking it out, she grabbed a spoon and ate slowly, trying to keep the tears at bay. Once she was finished, she placed the bowl and spoon in the washer before taking out her compact and lipstick, touching it up before shrugging into her coat and making her way out into the grey November morning.

It didn't take long to get to the hospital, and she parked before realizing that she really was at work. A part of her didn't really want to be there, she wanted to hide herself away and lick her wounds in peace. Instead, she was subjected to the stares and whispers of her supposed friends, colleagues who had known her for years and yet still thought it great fun to gossip and joke and mock her openly and behind her back. Really, she should be used to the quick way people dug the knives into the backs people, but it still hurt her heart to know that she was thoroughly alone, now that Bernie had left her.

Walking inside, she fixed her hair as she waited for the lift. A few nurses passed by, giggling at her as they went over to the doors, obviously waiting for an ambulance to come. Serena tried not to let their laughter dig beneath her skin, but her heart was all too tender. Shaking her head, she stepped onto the elevator, alone, which was a boon and a rarity.

On the ride up to AAU, she thought about her harshness with Jason last night. Really, she should have tried to keep her temper, but her disappointments had overwhelmed her senses, causing her to lash out. She would need to find a way to apologise, sooner rather than later, and make things right with him. She just didn't know how she would go about that when she was smarting from Bernie's words.

"Mornin', Ms. Campbell."

Serena's head shot up as she stepped off the elevator to see Raf grinning at her. The softness didn't help her mood, and she gave him a black look as she made her way down to her office. "Mister Griffin was looking for you earlier, seems you owe him a bit of paperwork?"

"I know, Mister di Lucca. However, I can't do anything about the paperwork if I am kept in inane conversations. Good day." She tried to ignore the way he drew in a quick breath, as if he wanted to protest her words, but then thought better of it. Her shoulders slumped as she added his wounds to the tally on her heart.

Sighing, she went into her office and forcefully closed the door, once more ignoring the looks that she was given. Taking a seat behind her desk, she woke her computer up, only to see that Bernie's email was still on her screen. Her head bowed as she tried to keep things together, knowing that she could ill afford another crazy outburst on the ward.

Someone knocked on her door, and she looked up to see Ric entering her office, concern lining his face, and she realized that she hadn't been able to mask her feelings in time for him not to notice. "Can I help you?" she asked shortly, needing to put some distance between her feelings and the man.

"We're worried about you, Serena. Jason made certain to let us know that you would be in a right mood today when you came in, and…"

"And that is none of your business, frankly. I don't need you poking and prying into my private life. I believe I quoted Churchill to you once, did I not?"

He perched on the edge of her desk, reaching out and resting his hand on her shoulder. It took everything in Serena not to flinch or move his hand, since she knew that he was trying to be kind. "You did, but that hell was a much different hell than this one. Is it not?"

Serena blinked rapidly, trying to keep from crying yet again. "I need to keep it together, Ric. And the only way that will happen is if you treat me like you used to, and I act like I used to. Do I make myself clear?"

"As crystal, Serena. However, I am not going to agree to that, because you need to have someone here who has your back, and it might as well be me."

She shook her head as she reached up to pat his hand lightly. Really, the concern was touching, but it reminded her all too well that kindness was something she gave, not received. It was too hard at times to be strong when on the other end of that particular stick. "This isn't fair, Ric."

"Life is never particularly fair, we both know that full well. Don't we?"

"Yeah." She closed her eyes and pursed her lips, trying to hold it together. And she would have managed it, too, if Ric hadn't grabbed hold of her hand, squeezing lightly. A few tears rolled down her cheeks and Serena hated herself for being so weak in that moment as to let Ric in on her private hell.


	4. Chapter 4

Somehow, Serena made it through the rest of the day without crying again, though she had managed to snap at Raf and Dom three times, and had verbally eviscerated a porter for nearly running her down. She knew that such behavior did not do anything to quash the rumors of her breakdown, and she once more heard titters of laughter behind her back when she had paused to get a coffee from Pulses on her short break.

Still, her mind kept retuning to Bernie's email, and the pressing need to read it in its entirety. Raf had managed to catch a mistake she was about to make in theatre because of her wandering thoughts, for which she was extremely grateful, even if she had given him a withering look. The man had had the audacity to grin at her and wink, as if he knew that she was all bark and no bite that day.

"Oh, Ms Campbell, I was wondering if I could get your opinion on my patient." She looked up at Morven, and tried not to frown at the young woman. She hadn't done anything wrong after all, her bad mood was entirely on her.

"That would be fine," she said lowly as she followed after Morven, wondering what it was that she couldn't diagnose. Upon reaching the patient, Serena had a small burst of insight, seeing how young she was. "Hello, I'm Serena."

"Sarah," the patient replied as she extended her hand. Serena shook it swiftly, finding herself charmed by the girl as she read through Morven's notes. "Is everything okay?"

"Well, that all depends on what you tell me. What seems to be the problem?"

Sarah launched into an explanation while Serena completed a quick examination of her, taking into consideration what Morven had written down in her chart. There were a few ways that the diagnosis could go, but as she started to put all the pieces together, she felt fairly certain she had come up with a correct diagnosis. "I think that you'll want to call oncology down," she said lowly as she pulled Morven aside. "It's not the best news in the world, but I have faith that you can break it sweetly enough."

"Yes, Ms Campbell."

She gave the young woman a small nod before getting up and making her way back to her office. This was really the perfect time to settle down and go over Bernie's email, in the hopes that she had misread something in the few lines that she had read. Thankfully, no one stopped her on her journey, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she closed her office door and took a seat behind her desk, waking the computer up.

Letting out another heartfelt sigh, she stared at the screen, still unable to focus properly on the words there. A part of her knew that she needed a wee bit of liquid courage to go through the letter, and she opened her desk drawer and took out her bottle of Shiraz, pouring herself a generous glass before settling back in her chair and taking a look at the letter, bypassing the opening lines, since they revealed nothing new. Instead, she started with the next paragraph.

 _It took you long enough to write me, you know. I was expecting to hear from you much sooner than this, that you would break down and write me. And I sort of let my pride get in the way as well, you know. I should have written to you, once I realized that things were so bad between us._

Serena paused, taking a large drink of wine. It seemed like they were both stubborn, something she should have recognized far sooner. There was something so sad about the realization that she might have missed out on reconciling earlier because of foolish, stubborn, pride. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed another gulp of wine before diving back in again.

 _I still have some things to work out here in Kiev. I wish that that sounded better, but this is a mess that I need to see out to completion. And I'm certain that Hanssen has most likely told you that I got everything done here so very quickly, but that was only because I threw myself into my work and didn't come up for air when I should have. So, I need to finish working on my heart, before I come back. Please, tell me that you understand why I had to run, even if I don't myself. I will see you soon, I promise._

Serena let out a snort as she downed the rest of her wine. Taking a glance up at the clock, she saw that it was almost seven, which meant that it was nearly nine in Ukraine. Throwing caution to the wind, she pulled out her mobile and scrolled through her contact list, her finger hovering over Bernie's name. "Just bloody call her, Campbell."

With a deep breath, she firmly pressed Bernie's number and brought the phone to her ear, listening to it dial. "Hello? Serena?" It was so good to hear the woman's voice, but she found her vocal cords paralyzed by anxiety at the thought of actually talking to her, now that she had her on the line. "Serena, are you there? Is everything okay? Talk to me, dammit!"

Shaking her head a little, she drained the rest of her wine before opening her mouth. "I wanted you to stay, Bernie. Why didn't you really listen to what I was saying?" Serena could hear Bernie start to reply to her, but she didn't want to listen, not any longer, and she hurriedly ended the call before she could humiliate herself any further.

That had been the wrong thing to do, since Bernie called her right back. Taking the coward's way out, she sent the call right to voicemail. And then, another call, another direct to voicemail. Knowing that she had to get out of this situation that she had created, she threw caution to the wind and scrolled through her contacts until she reached Robbie's name.

A small part of her brain shouted at her that she was making entirely the wrong decision, that she shouldn't react out of fear and anxiety, but a larger part of her wanted to feel anything other than pain. She had to prove to herself that she was desirable, that someone wanted her, and she pressed Robbie's number with a shaky finger, bringing the device to her ear.

Robbie picked up on the second ring, and Serena felt herself relax as his voice came over the line. "Serena? I never expected to hear from you."

"Yes, well, I need to let my hair down a little, and you were the first name that came to mind. Are you free tonight?"

"Of course, for you! Did you want me to pick you up?"

"No, how about we meet at Albie's for a quick drink, and then you can pop over to my place for a nightcap?"

She heard the hitch in his breath and smirked, knowing that she had played him exactly into her corner. Really, it shouldn't be that easy to manipulate people, but men like Robbie just were so eager for a bit of fluff at the end of the night, it seemed. "That would be lovely," he replied, and Serena leaned back in her chair, trying to not laugh bitterly at his acquiescence, since she knew that would have the opposite effect on how she wanted this night to go.


	5. Chapter 5

Serena had known this moment was coming, had known that Bernie couldn't stay in Kiev forever, but she still hadn't been expecting the return to occur so swiftly after she had made one of the largest mistakes in her life. She had been expecting her little night with Robbie to scratch the itch in her, but it had instead just shown her that she was Bernie's woman, through and through.

What made it all the worse was the fact that Jason had known something was off about her, and had tried to make her feel better the morning after. There had been no fixing the ache in her soul, though she had tried to paste on a pretty, vacuous, smile whenever he looked her way. Though she had almost lost it when he had come up to her and actually given her a hug in a rare display of affection.

So, her day was not off to the best of starts, and as she entered the hospital, a tiny part of her heart was quivering with trepidation, wishing that she could turn back around and hide out. That wasn't done, she knew, but still she had that wish. Knowing that she would need a strong cup of coffee to deal with the morning, and all that it would bring.

As she rode the lift up to her office, she tapped her foot, nervous energy filling her system as her thoughts kept returning to Bernie and her return. And Serena wondered if she would be able to face her, or if the woman would be able to read the betrayal written all over her face. It really did feel that way, to her, even though they had never declared themselves an official couple, because she loved Bernie, still, so much.

Once she'd reached her office, she was relieved to see that Bernie had not made her reappearance yet. Slumping her shoulders a little, she hung her coat on the tree before slipping her pocketbook into the top drawer of her desk, pulling out a tenner to take with her down to Pulses. As she went down the hall, a flurry of motion caught her eye, and she turned slightly to see the very woman she'd had on her mind come through the ward doors, talking animatedly with Dom.

Their eyes met, and Serena hurriedly looked away, unable to meet her gaze for longer than a moment. But oh, what a moment it was, since she could see that Bernie's eyes were still as brown as ever, still as expressive as ever, and Serena's heart just broke at the sight of pain there. It was much deeper than she had ever expected, and the first sob bubbled up out of her stomach as she turned and fled for the stairs, needing to escape.

"Serena! Wait!"

She shook her head, not wanting to be seen as weak in front of all the others. She bumped into one of the porters and muttered a token apology before bursting into the stairwell and running down the stairs. It was only when she was certain that Bernie hadn't followed her that she allowed herself to stop and catch her breath, the ragged sound harsh to her ears. Closing her eyes, she tried to regain control, and had almost managed to do so when a hand closed around her upper arm.

Letting her eyes snap open, she looked into Raf's concerned gaze and pressed her lips together, shaking her head slightly, hoping he would take it as a hint to say nothing to her. That didn't work, as he began to rub his thumb back and forth over her shoulder as he stared into her eyes. "You will stop that right now, Mister di Lucca."

"Stop what, Ms. Campbell?" he asked, giving her a cheeky grin that did not match the concern in his eyes at all. "Looking at a beautiful lady? Because that would be a damn shame. Almost as much a shame as that beautiful lady running away from the ball."

"I'm afraid I don't have a dress or glass slippers, so we don't need to worry about that, now do we?" Her sarcasm sounded bitter, even to her ears, and she winced to watch his smile turn sad, even as his hand tightened on her arm.

"She wanted to come after you, you know. I was the one who said no, that I would collect you back to AAU."

"Well, I want to get some coffee. I suppose that we could do that first?" Raf nodded and she released a long breath as she rolled her shoulders, trying to get him to let go. She only succeeded on getting him to move his hand as he rested it on the crook of her elbow as he guided her to Pulses.

Thankfully, the line wasn't too long, and she soon had her coffee in hand. "Now, are we going to head back up to AAU?"

"Yes, Raf." She gave him the same vapid smile she had given Jason earlier that morning, receiving the same frown in return. Shaking her head, she made for the elevator and every time he opened his mouth to ask a question, she deliberately took a sip of coffee, until he took the more obvious hint.

"You can't avoid this forever, you know."

"Be that as it may, I can today, and I'll thank you to keep it that way." He gave her a small nod before ushering her out of the lift on the right floor. She made her way to her office, trying not to wince when she saw Bernie sitting behind her computer, already dressed in scrubs. She went to open her mouth, to say hello, but the words died on her lips as Bernie looked up and gave her a hesitant smile. So she did the only thing she could do, which was raise her cup of coffee into the air before taking a long drag of it, settling down behind her desk and trying to focus on her paperwork.

Not five minutes later, the red phone rang, and she instinctively shot to her feet, as she had all the times when Bernie was gone, watching as Bernie did the same. "Go, change, I'll handle it until you're there," the woman said, and she nodded sharply before hustling into the locker room and throwing on the first pair of scrubs her hands touched. But it just had to be those sky blue ones, and she sighed, thinking about the last time she had worn those around Bernie. How quickly everything had gone to Hell that day, and stayed there.

Still, there was no time to pick something else, and she smoothed the top over her stomach before grabbing her cap out of her locker and making her way down to theatre. Bernie was already in there, scrubbing up, and Serena followed suit, standing at the sink nearest the woman, feeling completely obvious in her mannerisms. Bernie said nothing, however, just giving her a small smile before allowing the nurse to help her into her sterile gloves and gown and disappearing into the other room.

It didn't take long for Serena to follow suit, and once the surgical mask was in place, everything felt right. And just like nothing had happened between them, they fell into a familiar rhythm, and she found herself smiling at Bernie as the surgery continued to progress well. The other woman also gave her soft, open, looks, ones that told her maybe, maybe, everything could be okay between them.

By the end of the surgery, with the patient heading up to Keller to recover, the bubble that had surrounded them seemed to burst, and everything turned awkward again as Bernie removed her mask and went to say something to her. Serena just shook her head and tugged off her gown and gloves, stuffing them in the bin before fleeing from the room and busying herself with her rounds, needing to put some distance between herself and Bernie.


	6. Chapter 6

Bernie had officially been back for two weeks, and Serena still hadn't found a way to say much to Bernie. Oh, they talked about little things, mainly patients and how to treat them, but there was no substance, no warmth, to their conversations, and it was slowly eating away at Serena's soul.

Jason knew that something was still wrong, since he kept bugging her to have Bernie over for supper, as if he had known when her return would be. Serena had wanted to ask him if he had had a hand in things, but she had no idea if he had her number, or if he would have the nerve to do something like call and ask her to come back.

Still, she had started to put out little olive branches to Bernie, in an attempt to assuage her guilty heart. Cups of coffee and pastries left on Bernie's desk ten minutes before her shift was scheduled to start, apples and other snacks at the end of draining surgeries, and a book or two that she had found interesting were the least she could offer the woman. It seemed to be working, a little, as they could finally manage to look at each other without flinching by the end of the second week, but it still felt like there was an insurmountable wall between them, one that Serena had no clue in how to demolish.

It didn't help, either, that everyone saw fit to comment on their lack of communication at every turn, and Serena found herself on edge most days, looking forward to occasional glimpses of Bernie on the ward. And then, one day, right before they were to step into theatre, Bernie had turned and looked at her, her gaze seeming to search her soul for an answer that Serena wasn't giving. She felt pinned by the look, and so missed when Bernie opened her mouth to speak. "I thought that you had moved beyond anger," was all she said before shoving her way into the operating room and leaving Serena in the dust.

That had been a hard surgery, since she found her focus lacking. She took a step back from the team and watched Bernie work, her hands moving so elegantly as she went on. There were no gentle looks exchanged that time, no tender smiles, and Serena's heart broke a little when she began to realise the magnitude of hurt that her stubborn pride had caused. She was the one to linger after the operation had finished, hoping that Bernie would stay behind as well, since she finally thought she could start dismantling the barrier between them, brick by brick. Instead, Bernie had just looked at her, shook her head, and stormed from the room, never sparing her a second glance.

"Did you really expect things to be anything other than this?" Morven asked, not unkindly, but still reminding her of her shortcomings. Serena shrugged as she struggled to keep her emotions under lock and key, to not break down in front of the young doctor, and she screwed her eyes closed when Morven rested her hand on her shoulder. "At least you get a second chance with her. I'll never get that with Arthur."

"I suppose," she breathed out, the reminder of the good doctor too much for her fragile control. The first tear rolled down her cheek as she pulled away from Morven and hurried from the theatre. Raf tried to stop her, but she shook her head as she went to escape to the one safe space she had left on hospital grounds.

The first thing she was aware of when she took a seat in the peace garden was how bloody cold it was. It shouldn't have surprised her, since it was the beginning of December, but a cutting wind whipped around her body, driving into her pores like sharp needles. And though she knew tears were useless, she let them fall down her cheeks, knowing that she needed to get the sorrow out of her system before she returned to the ward.

"We don't want you dying of hypothermia, Ms. Campbell."

She looked up into Dom's face, and gave him a weak smile as he settled his warm coat around her shoulders before taking a seat next to her on the bench. The young man stopped short of setting his arm around her shoulders, and for that she was grateful. "How did you find me?"

"Bernie mentioned that you often go to the peace garden when you have no peace in your heart. She wanted one of us to go after you, and I volunteered. I figured you might need a strong shoulder to cry on."

She let out a watery laugh as she roughly drew the palms of her hands across her eyes to clear them of tears. "What I really need is a big macho army medic in my life. But I think that I might have finally fucked up enough so as to never have a chance at that again. My one chance at love, and poof, it's gone like chaff on the wind, because I'm too bloody stubborn to actually talk to her. I can talk about her, to everyone else, it seems, but that's just not good enough. I'm just not good enough."

"I wouldn't say that, Ms. Campbell. She wouldn't have sent one of us after you if all tender feelings were gone. And you wouldn't be crying so much if you didn't care. All it takes is being humble enough to admit that you were wrong and telling her as much."

"Oh, I wish it was that easy, Mister Copeland, I really do. But when you've reached my age, pride is sometimes all that we have left."

He patted her shoulder gently before offering her a handkerchief. Serena gave him a grateful smile as she cleaned up her face before standing once more. "I might not be particularly religious, but I do seem to remember my catechism teacher telling me, all too often, that pride goeth before the fall. And I think I speak for both Bernie and myself when I say that neither of us want to see you fall."

She nodded her head sharply before starting to make her way back to the hospital. Dom followed her closely, his hand hovering against the small of her back, as if he would catch her if she stumbled. It was a kind gesture, one she didn't deserve, and one that made Serena's heart a touch lighter.

The minute she was back in her office, Serena buried herself in paperwork, knowing that if she said anything to anyone, she could very well break down again, and she was not about to have that happen, not again. And so, she filed and wrote emails and did all the things that she had to catch up on, not even glancing at Bernie when she came and went from the office, even if she smiled every time.

The hours passed swiftly, and as she closed down her system, she found herself anxious for Bernie to return and get her things. When she did walk in, Serena let her face light up in eagerness, ready to finally say anything that would get them on the same page again.

The look on Bernie's face once more had her words turning to ash, and she felt tears well up in her eyes once more to see that tears stained her cheeks. "Bernie…"

"I, I have to go," the woman said as she shouldered her bag, not sparing her a second glance. "I'll see you in the morning?"

"Yes. And maybe lunch?"

There was no answer to her question, though, and she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces as she watched Bernie escape into the night.


	7. Chapter 7

Serena slept poorly that night, tossing and turning as she thought about Bernie. Finally, at two in the morning, she declared defeat and stumbled out of bed to head downstairs and grab her mobile. Unlocking it, she went to her text messages and tapped on Bernie's name. _I'm sorry, I've been a selfish bitch. But I told you I could hang on to grudges for a long time. I don't know why I keep hurting you like this, because it ends up hurting me, too, and I really need to talk to you._

She sent the message before she rambled on any more and then went back upstairs to try and get a few more hours of sleep in. Her hand clutched her phone the entire time, and she was woken up by a familiar ringtone. "Serena, we need you here as soon as possible. There's been a horrendous accident, and I need your help in theatre."

Bernie's voice was so welcome to hear, and she nodded as she drew in a sharp breath, the fog of the morning instantly lifting as she sprang out of bed. "I can be there in fifteen."

"Okay."

Bernie hung up before she could say anything else, but Serena had detected a slight warmth in her voice, which gave her hope. Stumbling out of bed, she made her way over to her closet and pulled out the first outfit her hand touched, dressing hurriedly before slapping on some mascara and lipstick and brushing her hair into some semblance of order.

As she drove, she plugged her phone into the charger, since she had almost drained the battery during the night, and tried to fight the tiredness that settled into her bones as she listened to the news on the way in. The accident seemed to be all that they could talk about, and from the sound of things, Serena was going to be on her toes all morning.

Pulling into her spot, she locked the car before rushing into the building and taking the stairs up to AAU, knowing that it would be faster in the long run. She struggled for breath as she entered the ward and flew to her office, dropping off her bag and then going to the locker room to change into scrubs. "She's in theatre one," Raf said as she exited the room, and she gave him a sharp nod before heading in that direction.

It didn't take her long to scrub in, and then she was thrusting herself into the thick of things. From the moment she was across from Bernie, staring down at the patient, she knew that there would not be a good outcome. Still, she worked in tandem with the team, trying to stave off the bleeding from the spleen, knowing that if they didn't get a handle on it soon, the woman would bleed out.

"Clamp. I need a clamp here," she muttered as she bent in closer, trying to find the source of the bleed. Bernie's hands clamped down the artery, and they shared a knowing look before she dove back into the thick of things. "I can't stop it, Bernie. I can't. Do you know how to help me?"

"That was the problem I was having. And she's a mum, her little girl was brought in with her, and she's almost fine, just a broken wrist. We have to do something."

Serena gave her a sharp nod and tried to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. She worked harder, knowing that Bernie was depending on her to fix this, fix everything about this, and it just seemed that she was mucking up yet again.

Then she heard the dreaded drone of no heartbeat, and she looked up at Bernie in a panic. "You need to clear back, Serena," she murmured, and she followed instructions, waiting for the woman to be shocked. "Charge to one fifty." The jolt of electricity coursed through the patient's body, but the heart didn't respond, and Serena worried her lip behind her mask, hoping that with the increase, it would change something about the situation.

There was nothing on the monitor, however, and she knew that they would have to call it, no matter how much they wanted to change her fate. "I think it's time we called it. Do we all agree?" She looked around the room, seeing everyone nod. She saved Bernie for last, giving her a tender look as she waited for her nod. Finally it came, and she looked at the clock. "Time of death, 11:25. We did all we could do."

The team nodded as they pulled off their surgical gowns and gloves, stuffing them in a bin on their way out. Bernie lingered by the body, just staring, and Serena could tell by her body language that she was about to lose it completely. Taking a look around at who was still in theatre, she shooed them out with a glare and wave of her hand, thankful that she could still command such obedience from them.

"They're gone now, Bernie."

"So's she." Serena drifted closer to the woman, letting her hand hover inches away from her back, since she didn't know how well received her touch would be. "Serena, we failed."

"We did everything we could. If I had gotten here earlier, maybe I could have stopped the bleed sooner, maybe she wouldn't have lost so much blood. If anything, this was my fault. I'm sorry."

Bernie gave her a lost look, as if she was looking straight through Serena to someplace else. The first tears trembled at the corner of her eyes, and Serena had to fight every fibre in her body to keep from enclosing the woman in a warm embrace. And then she was stepping closer to Serena, bending over her and hugging her tightly as the first sobs shuddered from lungs. It was easy to guide Bernie to the wall and then to slide down it, neither one letting go of the other as they say heavily.

"I have you, Bernie. I won't let you go. I love you," she murmured as she rubbed the woman's back. The truth began to flutter at her lips, and she tried to keep it inside, since she didn't want to overwhelm Bernie with her feelings at a time like this. She needed to be comforted, not Serena, and that was the focus she needed to keep.

"I just don't know what I did wrong. How do I tell that little girl her mommy is never waking up again? How do I, how do I…?"

"I don't know, but I will be there when you do. Because it is high time that we started working together once more. I've built this wall between us with my actions, and I know that I have to take it down, brick by brick, but I want to work together again. If you'll have me."

Bernie began to sob harder, and Serena wondered if she had said the wrong thing, if she had really ruined everything between them with her stubbornness. And then Bernie turned her face up to Serena's and pressed her lips against the curve of her jaw. "Yes. Hold me." She nodded against Bernie's shoulder, knowing that this was finally their breakthrough, she only wished it hadn't taken something like this to do so.


	8. Chapter 8

Serena kept one eye on the clock as she let Bernie sob out her heart. She didn't want to disturb the woman before she was ready to get up, or disrupt this tenuous peace between them with unnecessary words or motions. Instead, she just cradled Bernie's head close to her chest as she rocked them back and forth, crooning a wordless melody in her ear in an effort to calm her sobs.

Fifteen minutes passed, and she barely acknowledged when they came for the body, wheeling it out as quietly as possible. She gave the men a grateful smile as she laid her cheek atop Bernie's head, breathing slowly and evenly, hoping that the woman could pick up on that rhythm and find it for herself.

She would have sat with Bernie there for much longer had Raf not come in and given them a knowing look. "I'm sorry, Serena. We need the theatre for another trauma surgery. Ric and I will cover it, but…"

"I know, you need us to clear out. Give us a moment." He nodded and left the room and she gently pushed Bernie away from her so that she could look into the woman's eyes. "I want to take you into our office now, so that I can get you cleaned up a little before we face the ward once more. Do you feel okay to get up now?"

Bernie gave her a wide-eyed look of sorrow, her mouth slightly open as she nodded. "Okay."

Serena helped Bernie to her feet, letting the woman lean on her as they exited the theatre and made their way over to the office. There were a few looks from the others, but she found that she wasn't concerned about their thoughts, instead thinking only of Bernie. Raf was hanging around their door, and she shook her head a little as they slipped inside.

Closing the door, she closed the shades so that no one could peer into the room, knowing that Bernie needed the privacy at that moment. Guiding her over to her chair, Serena let her sit down, not expecting her to grab tightly onto her hands and hold her in place. "I was just going to get you some water, Bernie. You don't want to dehydrate yourself with all these tears."

"And I don't want you to let go of me at the moment." Serena nodded as she crouched down in front of Bernie, never taking her eyes off the woman. "I, I don't know if I can tell the husband what happened."

"I'll do it. I'll go, inform the husband, and come back with a bottle of water for you. Sit tight." She squeezed Bernie's hands before letting go and standing. "I won't leave you this time, I promise." Bernie gave her a small nod as she watched her go, and Serena gave her a fleeting smile before heading to the desk. Morven looked up and gave her an inquisitive look, and she shook her head a little. "I need to inform the husband of the woman we were working on."

"Oh, Raf took care of that for you, Ms. Campbell. He figured that you two wouldn't be up to doing so."

"Thank you. And would you happen to have an unopened bottle of water at hand?"

Morven rummaged around the desk and pulled out a bottle, handing it over. "I hope…"

"Everything will be fine," she quickly replied, shutting down that line of questioning before it began, since she didn't want to broadcast Bernie's business to all and sundry. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get back. Unless there is a dire emergency, please do not disturb us."

"Yes, ma'am," she replied before going back to her work. Serena offered her a sad smile before turning and heading back to her office.

"That didn't take you long," Bernie said quietly as she shut the door once more.

"Raf was very kind and took care of it for us. Here." She held out the water and then pulled over the extra chair so that they could sit with knees touching. "There are so many things that I would love to say to you. Each of them feel inadequate. Nothing assuages the guilt in my heart."

"Oh, Serena."

"No, Bernie, I, I need to say these things."

"And I have some things to say to you, too. But we can't do this here. Not when I'm still so close to breaking down again." Serena leaned in and rested her hands on Bernie's knees as she looked into the woman's eyes. As she watched, Bernie's chin began to quiver once more, and she lifted her right hand to cup her cheek, letting her thumb softly brush away the tears that were starting to fall.

"Do you think that you can pull it together enough to be on the ward today?"

"I have to be there."

"No, you don't, Bernie. I don't want you throwing yourself into work just because you feel it's the right thing to do. You need to be clearheaded and make tough decisions on the fly. And I don't know why this one case has discombobulated you so, but you're not on your game, and I care more about your health than it may seem."

"There aren't enough doctors on the ward to cover for us, especially after that trauma."

"Then you will stay here and try to get yourself under control, and I will go out there and see if I can cover for us both. There are some apples in my bag, you seem to like those, and I'll check in with you periodically."

Bernie gazed up at her, her dark eyes so full of sadness that Serena felt her heart lurch in her chest. A very large part of her wanted to stay behind with the woman, but she knew that she had to cover for them both. So she did the only thing she could, which was lean down and press her lips tenderly to Bernie's forehead, to try and comfort her as best she could. "Go, before I ask you to stay."

"Yes, Bernie," she whispered as she turned on her heel and slipped from the room. It took everything in her to move over to the hub and look around for what to do next. It seemed like everyone was occupied at the moment, and so she began to do her rounds, checking on her patients. There was something about the actions that helped to soothe her heart, settling her. And then Raf was calling her in to assist on another surgery, which helped ease the time along, and before she knew it, it was an appropriate time for her to slip out a little early. "Raf, if you could cover for us, I'm going to take Bernie home now and take care of her."

"That sounds like a good idea, Serena. We have it here now, everything seems to be under control." He gave her a sympathetic smile, and she tried to return it, feeling like she was inches away from breaking down. Reaching out, Raf rubbed her arm lightly, comforting her, before he disappeared into the ward, leaving her free to head to their office.

When she entered the room, Bernie was in the same position where she had been left, and Serena's heart broke a little more at the sight of how disconsolate she looked. "We're clear to head home now."

"Okay." Bernie got to her feet and Serena helped her into her coat before putting on her own jacket and slipping her bag over her shoulder. As they exited the office, Bernie took hold of her hand, the very public gesture of affection making Serena's heart sing a little. "Where are you taking me?" she asked as they rode the lift down to the ground floor.

"I'm taking you home." She almost added a fervent where you belong, but that was not appropriate, not before they had discussed everything that had happened between them.

"Good. I need to be there." Serena sighed a little before squeezing Bernie's hand tightly, trying to impart to the woman just how much she cared.


	9. Chapter 9

The drive home didn't take long, since it was an odd time to drive, and Serena found herself wondering what would happen when they were in her home. Bernie didn't say much the entire time, and the silence hurt a little, since Serena knew that she was most likely the cause of most of Bernie's heartache. Pulling into the garage, she turned the car off and then turned to the woman, staring at her, wishing she would say something.

"We're here," she finally ended up saying, watching Bernie carefully.

She turned her head to look at Serena, and the well of emotion in her eyes near broke Serena's heart. "We're home?"  
"Oh, yes, if that's what you want."

Bernie gave a small nod before leaning in and hugging Serena tightly. It was a shock to her system, receiving that tender, loving, gesture, since she hadn't thought that she would be so easily welcomed back into Bernie's good graces, not after the way she had treated her.

Slipping from the car, she waited for Bernie, holding out her hand expectantly. It took the woman only thirty seconds to join her, and Serena held tightly to her hand as they entered the house. Jason was in the kitchen, making a cup of tea, when they came in, and he gave them a wide smile. "Doctor Bernie! It's so good to see you here."

"It's good to be home." The words were low, even for Bernie, and Jason somehow managed to pick up on the tone in her voice as he nodded and finished pouring before heading out of the room.

"Would you like coffee or Shiraz?"

"It's early still, let's go for coffee, Fraulein."

She nodded, smiling at the woman as she rummaged around in the cupboard for her stash of good coffee. Finally, her hands touched the container of Alta Rica, and she smiled before pulling it out and starting it brewing. "This is the high intensity stuff, what I usually drink when I'm exhausted after a long day and night. We might be up until late into the night."

"That's fine, it will give us time to talk."

Serena looked at Bernie, giving her a soft smile before walking to her side and guiding her to a chair and making her sit. Then she draped herself over Bernie's shoulders, letting her chin come to rest on the top of Bernie's head. The only sound in the room was the dripping of the coffee, and it relaxed her immensely. Breathing in deeply, she let her hands run up and down Bernie's arms and tried to allow their breaths to sync up.

It took until the coffee had just finished dripping for her to feel like she wanted to break the silence. "I'm sorry," she started, hearing Bernie echo her words a millisecond later. "No, Bernie, I am so very sorry for my behavior these last few weeks. You came home to us, and I should have treated you with the kindness and respect you deserved from the moment you stepped back onto the ward. Instead, I couldn't find the words to say, and then everything seemed to go to Hell so fast. I'm so, so, so, sorry."

"Serena," Bernie breathed out, reaching up her hands to clasp hers, tugging her around to the table and making her sit. She did so, focusing her attention on Bernie's face, knowing that she was about to say something very important. "I could have talked to you more, too. I didn't exactly give you a reason to want to be kind. And I will have to live with that."

"I rather think you were giving me space, to figure out who I am. I did, but at a very heavy cost. There, there's something you need to know before we go anywhere with our relationship, such as it is." Serena took a deep breath as she tightened her hold on Bernie's hands, wondering how she could tell the woman she loved that she had been unfaithful. Bowing her head, she worried her lip between her teeth and let out a small squeak of surprise when the woman pulled her into her lap.

"Tell me what's eating at your heart."

"I slept with Robbie." The words were soft, barely above a whisper, but she felt like they were louder than a sonic boom. Bernie's face twisted up into confusion, and Serena retreated even further into her protective shell, knowing that she had just destroyed any hope of reconciliation between them. Suddenly, she felt the urge to run, to escape, and she wondered if that was what Bernie had felt when she had been so desperate to have her stay. She made the first motions to get up, but Bernie closed her arms around her waist and held her in place. "Let me go, please."

"No." Serena closed her eyes and tried to stop the tears that were threatening to course down her cheeks. "Serena, look at me." She shook her head, pursing her lips tightly. "Don't make me beg."

She raised her eyes to look at Bernie, her chin still tucked protectively into her chest. "What?" she whispered.

"I told you to find out who you were. I didn't expect you to play the chaste virgin in my absence, and I'm not going to judge you for sleeping with him. Is he, is he what you want?"  
"No."

"Then what do you want?"

"You." She couldn't stop the word from escaping her lips, her heart, and she looked down once more, not wanting see the rejection on Bernie's face. A tiny sigh left her lips when Bernie cupped her chin and gently forced her head up so that she had to look at her. "Bernie?"

"I'm glad that you know what you want now. Because I know what I want."

"You do?"

"Yes. I want you." For a moment, the sorrow in Bernie's eyes lifted, and Serena let a tremulous smile spread across her face as she reached up and stroked Bernie's hair gently. It was the first thing she could think of doing, the first intimate act that she had longed to do for so long. "You choose to pet me?"

"You're the only lioness that I'll ever be close enough to, to pet. Allow me the indulgence?"

"You know that I could never refuse you anything, not when you ask that sweetly."

She nodded before biting her lip once more. "Bernie?"

"Yes, Serena?"

"Would it be too forward of me to ask…" She never got around to finishing her question, as Bernie leaned in and pressed her lips softly against Serena's. This third kiss between them felt so sweet, so right, so much like home, that she couldn't help but let her arms encircle Bernie's neck, holding her close as the kiss lingered on. They didn't move to take thing to another level, or try to feel each other up, and for that Serena was grateful.

Finally, though, the kiss had to end, and she pulled her lips away so that she could rest her forehead against Bernie's, her eyes closed as she focused on the feel of the woman's breath washing across her face. "I'm home," Bernie murmured before humming lowly, wrapping Serena in another warm embrace.


	10. Chapter 10

The quiet of the room had settled over their souls, and Serena found herself loathe to break that as she got up and poured them mugs of coffee. Bernie accepted hers wordlessly, though she was smiling as she wrapped her hands around it and held it tightly to her chest. It was a thoroughly Bernie move, and Serena smiled to see it once more.

That spell had been broken when Jason peeked his head into the room and smiled at them. "Are we still getting fish and chips from the shop down the street?"

"Is it that time already?" Serena asked as she looked at the clock on the oven. "I'm sorry, we've let time get away from us, Jason. I'll pop down and get that, if you'll help Bernie get the table ready. And please, let a bottle of Shiraz breathe whilst I'm gone."

"Yes, Auntie Serena."

She waggled her fingers at them as she slipped into Bernie's coat, wanting the woman to surround her as she walked. Grabbing her purse, she headed out and made the quick walk, the cold stinging her face as she went. The girl in the shop gave her a warm smile as she got in line, though she was surprised when Serena told her that she needed three orders. "Oh, company tonight?"

"Yes. My partner is finally home from Kiev," she said, smiling widely at the girl as she paid.

"How wonderful! You must be so happy."

"I am," she replied. It was the truth, she realized with a start. She was truly happy that Bernie was in her home, talking to Jason, making herself comfortable. It didn't take long to get her order ready, and then she was headed back into the night, the smile never leaving her lips.

When she walked in the door, Jason and Bernie were engaged in a deep conversation, and she felt her heart lurch a little in her chest as she watched them interact. Robbie had never been this comfortable with her nephew, not like Bernie, and that should have been her first clue that Bernie was the right one for her. "I'm back!"

"That didn't take too long, Serena."

"They know us there," she replied as she passed around the containers before taking a seat across from them. It was perfect, really, since it afforded her the chance to stare as she ate, sipping at the Shiraz occasionally.

Once the meal was over, Jason turned to look at Bernie expectantly. "Mastermind is on tonight, and I was hoping that you would stay and watch with us. I could use a new opponent."

Bernie darted her eyes to Serena, and she suddenly felt shy as she smiled and looked down at the table. "I think that would be positively lovely, Jason." The smile widened as she got up from the table and threw away their trash. Bernie helped her a little as Jason went out to the living room. "So, this is what a domestic night at the Campbell house looks like," she breathed in her ear and Serena nodded as she leaned back against Bernie, allowing her to close her arms around her waist.

"I know, so boring, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love Jason, as if he was my son."

"He said that he's a porter now at the hospital?" Bernie asked as they made their way into the living room to join Jason. She nodded. "That's a big change."

"He said that he wanted to be more useful, since we have a porter shortage."

Bernie hummed in agreement. "He gets that from you, you know. He cares for people."

"I can't say that he learned that from my behavior lately. I've been a right grump, while you were gone."

"Ah! Why does that not surprise me?" Serena was about to gasp in indignation when she saw Bernie wink at her. Shaking her head, she leaned up and kissed her cheek softly before taking a seat on the sofa. Bernie took a seat next to her, and she looked up into her face, wanting to ask if she could curl up close. "Go ahead, Serena."

"Thank you," she murmured as she leaned in close to her Bernie, wrapping her arm around the woman's waist as they focused on the screen. Bernie murmured answers along with Jason, and Serena chose to listen instead of play along. Once the show was done, Jason got up and wished them both a good night before leaving the room.

"I think that's my cue to head home, too," Bernie said, and Serena drew in a deep breath. "What?"

"Your car! It's still in the parking lot."

"Oh, right."

"Well, I have a guest room that you could use, it's not like anything improper would happen."

Bernie laughed and gently pushed Serena to rest against the arm of the sofa before turning her body so that she could stretch out her body, her head coming to rest on Serena's shoulder. "Improper things just always seem to happen around you. Because you just seem to have that little glint in your eye."

"You're not the first person to say that. So, would you feel comfortable telling me about your time in Kiev? I, I want to know more."

"I suppose that I can do that." Bernie turned her head back and forth, and Serena wondered what she was thinking about. "So, when I arrived in Ukraine, I knew two words of the language, and relied so much on the translation app on my phone."

"Why does that not surprise me."

"Hush! You said you wanted to hear this."

"Yes, Major."

"That's better. So, I threw myself into my work, put in long days that stretched into the night, and managed to do all the work that was required of me in less than half the time allotted. It's rather funny what the mind can do when trying to drown out thoughts of the woman you…"

Bernie's voice trailed off, and Serena held her breath, wondering if she would continue on her own. The silence stretched on between them, and she contorted her arm so that she could rub Bernie's arm. "Yes?"

"The woman that I cared very deeply for."

Serena knew that that was the closest she would come to revealing her deepest heart to her, and she was content with that for the moment. Because that was more than she deserved. "This woman tried to do the same thing."

"I sort of figured you would. So, everything seemed to be going well, and then, well, I was not as careful as I should have been, and got lost in a bad part of Kiev."

She gasped as her hand stilled on Bernie's bicep, trying not to dig her fingers into the firm flesh. But still, the woman winced and Serena tried to relax her grip as she pulled Bernie ever closer to her. "What did they do to you, Bernie?" she whispered.

"They jumped me."

"Who?"

"I don't know. I never saw their faces. All I know is three men attacked me, hit me over the head with a bottle, and I ended up taken to the same hospital where I was setting up the trauma unit. I was the guinea pig, so to speak, and they did an amazing job. There is a faint scar, however."

"Where?"

"Here." Bernie lifted up her shirt a little before pulling down her jeans a tiny bit. Serena gasped when she saw the faint pink scar appear before her eyes. "It's just the newest one to add to my collection. You have perfect, blemish free, skin."

"No, I don't. I have stretch marks from Elinor's birth, ugly things that mark my too fleshy body. And you haven't seen my back. I have scars there, too."

"You're a goddess to me." The words were said so soft that Serena nearly missed them. "You always will be."

"That's sweet, Bernie, but I am all too human." Bernie chuckled lightly as she shifted positions once more, resting her head in Serena's lap so that she could look up at her. "I wish that I was a goddess, because then I could have commanded you to stay by my side."

"I can see you doing that, Fraulein. But I am back now, hopefully to stay."

"I hope so, too," she murmured as she reached down to clasp Bernie's hand tightly. "Tell me some happy memories, now. Please?"

"Of course." Bernie smiled as she launched into another story, and Serena listened carefully, wanting to fit these new pieces into her tapestry of Bernie.


	11. Chapter 11

Serena groaned as blinked her eyes open the next morning. Her back ached abominably, and she wondered if one of the springs on her mattress had given way in the night. Stretching, she found that there was a heavy weight in her lap, and she looked down to find Bernie there, curled up in as tight a ball as she could get into on the sofa. Sofa. Which meant that they hadn't had a decent night's sleep at all. Another groan slipped from her lips and she bemoaned her lack of timepiece in the room.

Bernie began to stir a little, and Serena let a soft smile spread across her lips as the woman flipped onto her back and slowly opened her eyes. "Where am I?"

"Still in my living room. It seems that we never made it upstairs last night, but I can't for the life of me remember falling asleep."

"That must mean we fell asleep at the same time, because I don't remember you drifting off before me, either. Ouch!"

"What is it?"

"This was probably the absolute worst thing for my back. I think that it might be a bit out of whack at the moment, and I either need a hot shower to work out the kinks or a good massage."

"Well, let's get you up and see what will work out the best." Serena lifted Bernie's head gently before standing up and holding out her hand. Bernie reached up and clasped it warmly before trying to stand up with her help. A tight wince passed over her face as she let go and flopped back onto the sofa none too gently. "Is it that bad?"

"Yeah."

"So, the hot shower won't be in the cards just yet, which means that I'll have to work out that massage." Bernie closed her eyes and shook her head. "What? Aren't I good enough to work out the kinks in your back?"

"Oh, I know that your fingers are nimble enough to do the job, I'm just not certain I can handle having you work on me. I'm greedy."

"So am I."

"Not like this. Not for this."

Serena frowned as she knelt on the floor next to Bernie. "You keep telling me what I don't want, what I don't know, what I don't desire. When are you going to listen to my words and understand that I know exactly what I'm saying?"

Bernie pursed her lips as she looked away from Serena, turning her head to face the sofa. "I can't play games with my heart, Serena. We've been at sixes and sevens up until yesterday, and now, all of a sudden, you want to kiss and makeup? It doesn't quite work like that, and you should know that!"

"Oh." Bernie's words cut her to the quick, and Serena felt herself tear up. After how open they had been with each other the night before, she had thought that things were progressing, but she had been a fool. "I slept with Robbie, and that means I betrayed you. Now you know how Marcus felt, and, and, I fucked it all up."

Silent tears began to roll down her cheeks as she struggled to get up, needing to flee. She had almost made it to the doorway when she heard Bernie speak once more. "Serena, stay, I'm sorry."

"I, I can't. I can't do this, Bernie. I love you so much that it hurts, and yet we keep stabbing each other, and my heart can't take it. I need to know what you want, because God knows that I want you! I've always wanted you, from the moment you strolled into my life, diagnosing my car trouble! I didn't recognize it then, because I have never felt like this for a woman before. But I began to recognize the signs, and then I went with it wholeheartedly. Because that is how I live. And you weren't here to hear them laugh about me, about us, behind my back! You weren't here to listen to them call me crazy Campbell! No, you FO'd to Kiev because you thought I didn't know what I wanted. My body knew well enough what my heart wanted, it just took my brain a little longer to catch up."

Serena wrapped her arms around her torso as harsh sobs tore from her throat. It felt so good to release all these emotions that she had kept bottled up for so long, and yet a small part of her wished that Bernie could get up and encircle her in a warm embrace. "I'm sorry."

"You say that a lot, Berenice."

"I know. But I mean it, every time."

Serena turned to look at the sofa, seeing that Bernie had lifted her hand up, reaching out for her. A part of her wanted to run over and hold that hand once more, to caress the skin, and kiss the palm. Sighing, she let her shoulders slump as she made her way back to Bernie's side. "I don't know how much longer I can hear you say you're sorry."

"I can only imagine." Bernie locked eyes with her and it was then that she saw the woman was crying as well. "I don't want to hurt you anymore. Please, massage me?"

Their defenses were finally down, and Serena nodded, giving Bernie a small smile as she helped the woman turn onto her stomach. "This won't be the best I've ever given, to do that, you'd have to be on my bed so I can straddle you." A strangled groan slipped from Bernie's lips, and Serena's ears turned pink when she realized what she had said. "Sorry."

"Don't, it's thoroughly adorable, Serena. And you could try to straddle me on the sofa."

Serena's nostrils flared as she drew in a deep breath. "You really shouldn't tease me, Bernie. It's not nice."

"I'm not nice."

"I beg to differ," she shot back as she carefully arranged her legs over Bernie's back, letting her backside come to rest on Bernie's as she reached out and began to dig her thumbs into the muscles at the base of Bernie's neck. It amazed her to watch the way those muscles relaxed beneath her ministrations, and she worked lower and lower on the woman's back.

The muscles of Bernie's lower back were stiffer than she had thought they would be, and she tried to be as gentle as she could, knowing that it would hurt her more. "I think I almost have this, Bernie," she murmured in her ear, finding herself losing some of the hurt through her hands' work.

"It feels a lot better."

"Good." She was about to say something more when she heard a commotion at the door. "That must be Jason, he's probably coming to tell us that breakfast is ready."

"No, Auntie Serena, I'm actually here to give you your phones. They have been ringing off the hook for thirty minutes. I answered yours, Auntie Serena, because the noise was starting to become annoying, and Mister Griffin says that you are officially an hour late."

"What?" they spat out at the same time, and Serena grabbed their phones from Jason's hands, passing Bernie's to her as she stared at the display.

"Oh, we are in so much shit," Bernie said as she scrolled through her notifications. "And we have no time to change into something fresh. Everyone is going to think the worst."

"Let them?"

"Serena?"

"Let them? I mean, you will be by my side, right?" She hated the hesitancy in her voice, knowing it showed how deeply vulnerable she was in that moment.

"Yes."

And it was that one word that turned her whole heart around. Heedless of Jason being there, Serena leaned down and kissed Bernie's cheek softly, feeling her very soul take flight at the thought that the woman was going to be there with her.


	12. Chapter 12

Serena found herself panicking internally as she drove them to work. Bernie seemed to be nonplussed, however, and she wished that that same sense of calm would envelop her as well. "Everything is going to be fine, Serena. It's not like they're going to notice us wearing yesterday's clothes, after all. They're not that observant, right? I mean, do you remember what Morven was wearing yesterday?"

Those words seemed to break through the muddled confusion that had marked Serena's thoughts from the moment she had realized they were going to be very late to work. Turning her head a little, she looked at Bernie and gave her a small smile. "I actually can't remember, now that you say that. So, I guess that you're right."

Bernie smirked as she nodded. "I know, it's not often that I'm the right one in our relationship, but sometimes it happens. And if anyone even thinks of looking at you the wrong way, you can be certain that I will put them in their place. Because no one hurts Serena Campbell when I'm around. I'm the only one that gets to do that."

By the end of her words, Bernie's voice had turned sad, and Serena slid her hand off the wheel, reaching out for Bernie's hand. Finally, the woman clasped it and threaded their fingers together as she continued to drive. It was a little more difficult one handed, but Serena made it work because she wanted to be in close contact with her partner.

Pulling into her spot, Serena found herself reluctant to let go of Bernie's hand and actually go into the hospital. Bernie gently shook her hand free before bringing her hand up to cup Serena's face, her thumb rubbing back and forth over her cheekbone. "We are going to be just fine, Serena. I promise you. And even if things aren't perfect, we're going to get through it together. I am going to try my hardest to not hurt you, but I can't promise that I won't. Because I am very good at hurting the people I love the most."

Serena swallowed thickly, hoping she had heard correctly. "You just have to learn how to stay, Bernie. Perhaps, one day, someone will give you a reason to?" She gave her a fleeting smile, to which Bernie nodded sharply before leaning over and kissing her cheek tenderly. "And perhaps that person is closer than you think."

"I think that that person has been more than faithful to stay by my side, even when I was in another country." Bernie swiped away a few tears from Serena's cheek before giving her another swift kiss. "But we can't avoid them any longer. To the battlefield, Fraulein."

"Aye, Major." They disentangled themselves from each other and Serena slipped from the car, slinging her bag over her shoulder and waiting for Bernie to come to her side. "If we take the stairs, do you think they'll notice just how late we are?"

Bernie laughed uproariously, throwing her head back as she guided Serena into the hospital. "I don't think there is anything in this world to keep them from noticing how late we are. Raf or Fletch will look at you in just the right way, and you are going to blush a deep red and scurry into your office, trying to focus on paperwork whilst I change into scrubs and start working rounds."

"I will not blush!" she protested, a little too loudly, catching the attention of a gaggle of nurses gathered around the elevator. One of them let out a tittering giggle before whispering into another's ear, giving them a look before laughing again.

This didn't sit well with Serena, since she knew that they were laughing at her, which bothered her to no end. And then, Bernie slipped her arm around Serena's waist, publicly announcing that there was something between them, and Serena sighed a little as they went over to the stairwell and started up to the AAU.

They bumped into Raf the moment Serena opened the door to the ward, and he gave them a cheeky grin as he looked between them, not missing a thing about how they were standing. "Well, our little late lassies have finally decided to grace us with their presence. Was it a long night?"

There was a hint of digging in that question, and Serena didn't want to answer it, not wanting to give any more information than was necessary. "Actually, Raf, we were up late talking and fell asleep on the sofa. Which was not the best for my back, and has left me a touch tetchy today."

"Completely understood, Bernie." They exchanged a look, and Serena smiled as she shook her head a little.

"All right, I'm going to set my bag in my office, if you want to change, Bernie." She gave the woman a lingering look, and Bernie smiled as she nodded. They went their separate ways and Serena couldn't help but watch her go, wanting something that she couldn't quite name. Raf seemed to understand, however, as he came to stand next to her. "What?"

"I was just going to say that I'm glad the two of you are starting to work through your issues. I was hoping that it would a little quicker than this, but I know a few of us on the ward will breathe easier now that things are smoother." Raf followed her to her office, leaning against the door jamb as she settled down behind her computer. "I was worried about you, you know."

"Why?"

"Because while you are very supportive of us, we don't always return that support." She gave him a sharp nod as she glanced out the window to see Bernie pass by, wearing her dark blue scrubs, unable to keep the longing sigh from escaping her lips. "I'm glad to see that you still love her."

"It's really that obvious?"

"Yeah, it is." She shook her head a little as Raf chuckled. "It's not a bad thing, Serena."

"It is when you've become crazy Campbell," she muttered as she looked down at her desk. It seemed that she couldn't hold on to her happiness, that it was as fleeting as dust on the wind when it came to her time with Bernie, and she very nearly started crying once more.

"We're trying to quash those rumors."

"I know you are. But they still cut to the quick." Looking up, she saw Bernie standing next to Raf in the doorway, and tried to give her a happy smile. "Finished with your rounds already, Ms. Wolfe?"

"No, I haven't started them yet, Ms. Campbell. I was just wondering if we could perhaps plan on supper tonight? At that little Italian place down the road?"

A warm feeling of love spread across her chest as she nodded. "I think that I would love that very much. We can talk about how our days went?"

"Sounds like a plan. See you at six."

Serena nodded, trying to keep the blush off her cheeks. The moment Bernie was back on the ward, Raf came fully into her office, taking a seat next to her desk and leaning in. "Oh, so now we're planning supper dates, are we? Things are getting serious!"

"Hush! Things are going the way I want them to, yes, but I don't want to rock the boat. Because I love her, and I would do anything to keep her here. Tell me you understand."

He reached out and patted her shoulder lightly. "I do, more than you might realise. I'll try to keep the teasing to a minimum, then. After this." She gave him an askance look. "If I were you two, I'd order spaghetti. I've heard that it's very romantic." All Serena could do was roll her eyes as she shooed the man away, needing to get a handle on her paperwork for the day.


	13. Chapter 13

Serena breathed out a sigh of relief as she sat behind her desk at five minutes to six. She had thought that she was going to be stuck in a last minute operation, but it had been less tricky than she had thought, allowing her to change into the extra set of clothes she kept in her office and still beat Bernie back.

Leaning back, she stared up at the ceiling of their office, a dreamy smile on her lips as she thought about the woman. There was so much that she adored about her, but she found that first glimpse of her in the mornings to be her favorite. Closing her eyes, she replayed their morning, how her hands had moved over Bernie's skin, the little noises she had made. Unbidden, a tiny groan slipped from her lips, and she licked her lips in anticipation of things to come.

"Caught in a good dream, Serena?"

She sat up with a start, focusing on Bernie. The woman had also managed to find a new shirt, and was looking effortlessly put together. "Just remembering our morning," she murmured, flustered at the woman's sudden reappearance.

"That is a lovely thought indeed," Bernie purred as she pulled on her coat. "Now, we have reservations in twenty minutes, so I think that we need to get a move on."

Serena nodded absently, her eyes still on Bernie's form. Somehow, she managed to get to her feet, stumbling over to the coat tree and shrugging into her coat. It took everything in her to not moan as Bernie ran her hands down her back, smoothing the fabric as she went. Still, a tiny squeak popped out as the woman patted her bum softly before threading their arms together and leading them over to the elevators. "So, beyond a few bottles of Shiraz, do you have any idea what you're going to get tonight?"

"I hadn't really thought about it. Though I know that we're going to end our night with a tiramisu. I might even let you feed me some." Bernie winked at her, and Serena felt the bottom fall out of her stomach. "Though maybe we have to keep that for the bedroom."

Serena nodded a little, feeling her legs turn to jelly as they stepped into the elevator. They were quiet until they reached the car park, and Serena stopped them. "Are we both going to drive?"

"Well, it might be nice to dispel the rumor mill a little by showing up in separate vehicles tomorrow morning." Bernie smiled a little as she broke off and made towards her own car. Serena stared after her, a silly smile on her lips, before she finally found the impetus to move.

Once at the restaurant, Serena again found herself zoning out, content to drink her fill of Bernie, and she barely looked up at the waiter as she placed an order for the linguini with clam sauce. "There is something so lovely about tonight."

"Yes, because you're here."

Serena blushed as Bernie reached across the table for her hand, clasping it gently. "You're a flatterer, Bernie."

"Would you have me any other way?"

"No." She picked up her wine glass with her free hand and took a sip of the drink. "So, do you want to head back to my place after this?"  
"I was actually thinking about my place."

She drew in a sharp breath before nodding. "I'm going to have to stop by my place and pick up a change of clothes, though. You'll text me directions to your place while I do that?"

"Of course."

That settled Serena's heart a little, and she nodded as she took another drink. Their conversation died a little as they continued to drink each other in, and Serena couldn't stop the sighs that dropped from her lips. She was loathe to let go of Bernie's hand, but that was the only way to eat, and she released Bernie with a discontented sigh.

"I thought that we could go a few minutes without touching," Bernie teased, and she licked her lips a little as she shrugged. "If you keep looking at me like that, I cannot be held responsible for my reactions."

"Like what, Ms. Wolfe?" she asked, letting her voice take on the husky tone that she knew drove Bernie wild.

"Like dragging you off to the loo and snogging you senseless."

"What's to stop you?"

The words were out before she could stop them, and Bernie let out a little growl as she leaned in close. "We are in public, and while I might adore you, I do not want to be thrown in jail for public indecency." Serena nodded before closing the distance between them and kissing Bernie quickly. Humming a little, Serena made certain to let her lips vibrate, knowing that the move would distract Bernie to no end. "You are a minx!"

"Guilty," Serena replied as she settled back in her seat, a smile on her lips. "But I rather think that's one of the things that endears me to you."

"Perhaps." Bernie smirked as she dug into her food. As they ate, Serena found herself content to watch Bernie, to drink in every line and curve of her body, to focus in on the way she ate. Bernie, it seemed, had the same thoughts, since she felt the woman's gaze travel about her skin as the night lingered on. "We need to get a move on, if we're going to talk," she finally said, breaking the spell that had fallen over them.

"I know, but I just can't seem to find the want."

"I'll give you a very good want. You're about to spend the night in my bed."

Serena blushed deeply as she looked down at her plate. "We didn't even get to have dessert."

"I'll be your dessert," Bernie said lowly, and Serena nodded as she swallowed. "Now go, I'll settle the bill and wait for you at home."

"Yes, Bernie." Serena stood and slipped on her coat before leaning in and kissing Bernie's cheek softly. "It shouldn't take me too long to get everything together. That is, if you don't mind my using your shampoo in the shower."

"That would be fine." They shared a sweet smile before Serena tore herself away from Bernie's side and made her way out to their cars.

On the drive home, all she could think about was how much she wanted to be in Bernie's arms, how much she wanted to fall asleep with the woman once more. And so, it came as no surprise to her that she didn't really have a clue as to how she arrived in her garage some time later.

Jason was just putting away his glass when she entered the kitchen, and she gave him a wide smile as she set her purse on the counter. "You're back late, Auntie Serena. Did things go well?"

"Well enough, Jason. I'm going to be leaving again shortly, since I'm going to be spending the night at Bernie's." A hopeful grin lit up Jason's face, and Serena felt herself respond in kind, joy just seeming to radiate from her features. "If I don't see you beforehand, have a good day at work."

He nodded a little as he set his glass in the washer. "I'm so glad that you're happy once more."

"I am, too, Jason." She reached out and patted his arm softly before making her way upstairs. It was quite easy to fill her bag with an outfit for the next day, since she had a routine down for her clothes. Thinking about pyjamas was a much different story, however, and she stared into that drawer of her dresser for far too long. Everything there was wholly inappropriate for an evening filled with conversation and not more carnal pursuits, but there was nothing she could do about that now.

Sighing a little, she packed away a long silk nightgown, trying to push the notion that the bodice was pure lace to the back of her mind as she quickly stuffed the minimum amount of makeup she would need tomorrow into a zippered bag and tossing that into her case. This was going to be an interesting night.


	14. Chapter 14

Serena followed the voice of her GPS to Bernie's flat and was thankful to find an open spot next to her car. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her compact and took a look at her reflection in the mirror. There was a note of panic in her eyes, and she tried to breathe deeply in an effort to calm herself. "You'll be fine, Campbell. It's not like you're going to be having your way with her, you need to ease into these things, after all!"

She drew in another deep breath before climbing out of the car, bag and purse in hand. Taking one last look at her mobile, she squared her shoulders and made her way to the right door. True to text, it was open, and Serena went inside, making certain to lock the door before stepping out of her shoes and heading for what she hoped was the living room, expecting to see Bernie there.

"Bernie?" she called out when she was confronted with a thoroughly empty room. Confusion knitted her brow together as the silence lingered on, and she let her purse thump down onto the coffee table with a dull thud.

"Serena! You're here already!"

Bernie's voice came from somewhere upstairs, and the small smile that curved her lips up matched the feeling of hope in her heart. "I am," she called out. "Where are you?"

"Up here in my room, getting things ready. Use the bathroom to change and shower, and then join me, okay?"

Serena nodded as she swallowed, trying not to think of Bernie in bed. "A-all right." She began to climb the stairs, surprised to find her legs so shaky. Nervous anticipation would do that to a person, she knew, she just hadn't been expecting that of herself, since she was past the day of schoolgirl crushes.

Thankfully, the bathroom door was slightly ajar, and she slipped inside to set out her makeup and tug out the nightgown, folding it on the bathroom counter before stripping off her clothes and stepping into the shower. Turning the water on, she relished the warmth of it hitting her skin, washing away the dust of the day. It was another thing altogether to smell like the woman who so occupied her thoughts, though, and she only hoped the scent of her soap wouldn't linger on too terribly at work, otherwise she would be driven to distraction the entire day.

After finishing her shower, Serena turned the water off and wrapped a large towel around her body as she stepped out and went over to the mirror, wiping it off with her hand to look at her face. She hoped that she was pleasing to Bernie, and she sighed a little before dropping the towel to the floor and pulling her nightgown over her head. Sliding her palms down her body, Serena tried to hold in her whimper of desire, knowing that she had to keep things chaste that evening. They were not ready for physical intimacy, not yet, and she needed to keep that in mind.

Picking up her towel, she rubbed her hair dry before running her fingers through it so that she looked halfway decent. "It's now or never, Campbell." Taking one last glance at her appearance, she tried to ignore the fact that her nipples were very obviously pebbled, and she smiled a little before padding out into the hall and heading next door, hoping that it was the bedroom.

Easing open the door, she peeked her head in and saw Bernie stretched out on a very small bed. Her breath was stolen from her lungs as she raked her eyes up and down Bernie's long body, seeing that she was wearing only a tiny pair of silk boxers and a thin white t-shirt. "I was expecting to hear you sing," Bernie said as she turned on her side.

Serena opened her mouth to say something, but instead gaped at the woman, taking in the fact that she could clearly see how pink her nipples were through the thin fabric the shirt. Her hand flew up to the neckline of her nightgown, worrying it between her fingers as she stepped forward. "I, I, um."

"Ooh, I don't think I've ever seen you this flustered, Serena. Is everything okay?"

She knew the woman was teasing her, deliberately so, and yet her mind just wasn't firing quickly enough to tease back. "I, you, you're beautiful."

"Thanks, now get in here."

Serena nodded dumbly as she climbed onto the bed and stretched out along Bernie's body, trying not to focus on the heat that bled through the thin fabric of their clothes, or the feel of Bernie's breasts pressing against hers. It was a losing battle, because her dirty mind conjured up all sorts of naughty things that she wanted to do with the woman. "You make me lose focus," she finally whispered as she encircled her arms around Bernie's neck, holding her close.

"You do the same thing to me. Because that nightgown is just making me want to tug it off your body and ravish you right here."

"Oh, thank God that we're thinking the same thing!" She let out a relieved laugh before leaning in and kissing Bernie softly. "Because you fill me with this dark desire, Berenice Wolfe, and at times I feel like I'm drowning in the want of it all. Do you have any idea how that feels? To look at someone and want to take them then and there, damn anyone who happens to be looking? Because I've never felt like this before. Yes, there was passion with Edward, with Robbie, but it wasn't this all-consuming. How do I look at you and not drown in love?"

"I wish that I knew the answer to that, Serena. Because there are times that I feel the same way." Bernie reached out and ran her fingers through Serena's hair. "Like I'm swimming in this river of feelings, and I'm so close to being overwhelmed, and then you appear, and I lose myself in you, letting myself be pulled down because when I'm with you, nothing else matters."

"Well, this is a fine kettle of fish we find ourselves in, then. At least, at least we can get through it together now?"

Bernie nodded, making Serena sigh as she tucked her head beneath the taller woman's chin, wanting to be surrounded by her in that moment. Bernie seemed to understand the need, since she hugged her closer, rubbing her back softly as their breaths synced up. "All right, I think that we need to talk about something other than desire, otherwise things are going to get out of control tonight. And I think we don't want that tonight, right? We want to rest."

"Yes, Bernie. We need to rest tonight. Tomorrow, perhaps, we can think of body needs over heart needs." The chortle that tumbled from the woman's lips set Serena off as well, and their laughter filled the room so well. "And I hate to turn this serious, but I have to know, and I hope you can tell me, because I hung up on you the first time I asked, why didn't you listen to what I was saying? Why did you choose Kiev over me?"

Bernie's hand stilled on the small of her back, and Serena regretted asking the question. Until Bernie bent her head just so and placed a tender kiss to the crown of her head. "I chose Kiev because of Alex. When she left me at Holby, she told me that simple not wanting her to go wasn't enough, I had to want her to stay. I didn't get it then, what she meant, and then you repeated my words back to me, and I understood. And my god, did it sting. So I reacted out of my hurt and insecurity, not seeing how much I was hurting you, too."

"Oh, Bernie," she murmured as she let her head tip up a little, seeking out the pulse point on her neck and kissing it softly before snuggling in close once more. "We were such fools, to waste this chance on love."

"Yes, we were, but at least now we have a chance to make amends. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I think I would rather live through a storm with you by my side than have the fairest weather in the world and be alone." Serena nodded as she let those words soak into her heart, knowing that they were well on their way to true reconciliation.


	15. Chapter 15

It had been a long day for Serena and Bernie, even though they had managed to make it to work a little early. There had also been far less whispers and giggles behind their backs, something for which she was quite grateful, and that had made it far easier to smile and gaze at Bernie whenever the woman passed by her field of vision.

And here she was, in their office, finishing up paperwork and waiting for Bernie to arrive, so she could ask if she wanted to come over for supper again that evening. Jason had mentioned that he wanted to see her again when he stopped by her office before his shift, and she had promised to see what she could do. However, as the hour grew ever later, she began to wonder just what was keeping Bernie.

Fletch peeked his head in the door, giving her a small smile before taking a seat next to her desk and waiting for her to acknowledge him. "Don't you knock anymore?" she said, no real malice in her voice.

"No, not when I've been sent on an important mission."

"And what is that?"

"Bernie needs to talk to you, but she's stuck in theatre. I said that I would run and get you," he replied, giving her an exaggerated wink. Serena chuckled a little as she stood up. "That didn't take long."

"Well, when one of my senior consultants needs me, I will do whatever I can to get to them."

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied as he led her out of the room and down to theatre. She watched as he scrubbed back in and then turned her focus back to watching Bernie work, once more enamored by the way she moved so masterfully, how she seemed to have complete and utter control. A few moments later, Bernie glanced up, and she could tell, even though the mask covered her lower face, that she was grinning.

Fletch motioned to the intercom, and she pressed the button so she could hear what was going on. "Serena! I'm so sorry, but this surgery came through at the last moment, and it's looking like I'll be at least another hour, if not two. And I was looking forward to spending the night with you and Jason again, after all, I have to beat him at Mastermind, to keep my reputation." The rest of the team in the room laughed, and Serena gave her an indulgent smile. "Oh, does someone doubt me?"

"No, I just know my nephew. And you are always welcome at our home for supper, Bernie. Tell you what, I'll leave the key on your desk, and you can let yourself in when you come. All right?"

"That sounds perfect. I'll see you soon."

Their eyes met once more, and it took all of Serena's self-control to not wink or blow a kiss to her. From the looks of things, Bernie had no such compunctions beneath her mask, as she could just tell that the woman had pursed her lips before sending her away. Sighing a little, Serena turned on her heel and strode back to her office, humming beneath her breath.

Morven looked up from her rounds, giving her a questioning look, and Serena just blithely smiled at her before enclosing herself in her office and digging through her purse for her keys. It didn't take long to remove the house key from the ring, and she placed it in the most obvious place on Bernie's desk before pulling on her coat, grabbing her things, and leaving the office, making certain to wave to the others as she left.

She sang along to the radio as she drove, feeling so light and free at no longer having to hide her feelings for Bernie. Once she was home, she continued singing the song, feeling incredibly buoyant at the thought of Bernie coming home to her. Jason picked up on her mood immediately, and she nodded before he could even say a word. "She'll be here, don't you worry. We just have to get things ready for her."

"Why?"

"Because she is finishing up a complex surgery, and will be exhausted by the time she comes here. Thankfully, we have tomorrow off together, so hopefully I can convince her to spend the night and not worry about driving home when she's too tired to do so."

Jason nodded thoughtfully before he went over to the refrigerator and began pulling out the ingredients for shepherd's pie. It was a joy to work with him, putting together the dish, and she let out a contented sigh as she popped the completed dish into the oven before taking a seat at the table and staring dreamily at the wall.

"Is everything okay, Auntie Serena?"

She turned her head to look at Jason, giving him a small nod. "Everything is fine, better than fine, in fact."

"Oh?"

"Yes, after all, Bernie and I aren't fighting any longer, and things are on a more level field with us. My heart is so extremely light at the moment, I feel like I could fly, if I had wings, of course."

"I see. And why is your heart so light?"

"Because we're in love's recovery. I very nearly messed the whole affair up, by being so stubborn, just like my mother. Thankfully, we both backed down before things could get any more fraught between us."

He nodded and took a seat across from her, still looking at her oddly. "Well, what does this mean for us? Is Doctor Bernie going to move in? Are you two going to get married?"

Serena sighed a little as she reached out for his hand, hoping he would allow her the indulgence. While he didn't clasp it in return, he still allowed the touch, and she smiled gently. "I very much hope that Bernie becomes a permanent part of my life, of our lives, but she has to be the one who decides to stay. I can't force her to do something she doesn't want, even if I want it so desperately."

"Well, if she loves you as much as you love her, she'll have to say yes."

"In time, I dearly hope that her answer will be…"

"Yes."

Serena gasped and hurriedly turned her head to look towards the doorway, seeing Bernie there, a brilliant grin on her face. "I won't force you into something that you don't want."

"I believe I heard you say that already."

"Oh." Serena grinned in return, her smile so large that her cheeks began to ache. Standing, she drifted over to Bernie's side, taking the bag from her hands and letting it drop to the floor before hooking her arms around Bernie's waist and embracing her tightly. "I'm glad you're home."

"I'm glad to be home," she replied before bending back a little so that she could look into Serena's face. "I managed to save the woman's life, and I have a homemade meal waiting for me when I arrived. I don't think a woman can get any luckier."

"Except to know that she also has the love of a good woman."

"An incorrigible woman," Bernie teased as she kissed Serena softly. "Now, how much longer before we're ready to eat?"

"The timer says there are seven minutes left until the shepherd's pie comes out. And then, we should let it rest for ten minutes since we wouldn't want to burn our mouths on it. After all, I don't think you could kiss Auntie Serena with burnt lips."

"There is that. Though I think that she would be most well equipped to take care of me, if that were the case." Bernie reached up and tugged on a piece of Serena's hair. "Now, how about we let a bottle of Shiraz breathe and then go sit in the living room and talk until it's time to eat?"

"That sounds heavenly," Serena breathed out, her eyes focused on Bernie and Bernie alone.


	16. Chapter 16

Serena had felt herself become more and more keyed up as the evening continued on. Bernie had kept giving her looks that went straight to her core, and she found herself squirming with anticipation as the hours wore on. Bernie didn't help things by reaching out and touching her thigh every so often, her fingers brushing almost indecently close to the center of her desire.

Jason went to queue up another episode of Mastermind when Bernie held up her hand. "It's almost ten, I don't think that we should start another episode. Your aunt and I will finish our wine and then clean up down here, if you don't mind."

Her nephew looked ready to protest, but then he looked a little closer at Bernie before giving her an almost knowing nod and wink. Serena choked on her swallow of wine, coughing a little as she set aside her glass. "Okay, Bernie. And you should know that it takes Auntie Serena approximately twelve minutes, forty seconds to…"

Serena cut him off with a look and a swipe of her hand, somehow knowing that he was going to mention how long it normally took her to orgasm. She'd known that the walls of her home were thin, she just hadn't realized how thin until her nephew had chosen to open his mouth. Bernie just sat next to her, her face buried in a throw pillow as laughter caused her shoulders to shake. "Not one more word, Jason!"

"Yes, Auntie Serena. Though you shouldn't be embarrassed…"

"I said enough."

Jason blanched a little as he got to his feet and practically ran from the room. Once they both heard the door to his room slam closed, Bernie lowered the pillow and stared at Serena, unable to stop her laughter. "Twelve minutes, huh? Hopefully I can make you last a little longer than that," she finally purred out before she leaned over and kissed Serena forcefully.

Serena moaned a little at the onslaught, welcoming Bernie's tongue against hers as they sprawled out on the sofa. She was suddenly thankful that she had worn a loose shell beneath her blouse that morning, as it allowed Bernie to slide her hands up her torso and cup her breasts, her thumbs rubbing against her nipples insistently.

Breaking the kiss, Serena breathed in and out heavily, curling her hand around Bernie's shoulder. "I think that we should take this up to my room before we go any farther. After all, I don't want Jason to walk in on us like this. It's bad enough that he knows…"

"Well, you're going to have to be quiet tonight, or he'll know just how long it will take me to make you come." Her words were low and husky, and Serena shivered a little as she nodded. Bernie helped Serena to her feet, slinging her arm around her waist and guiding her along. They exchanged kisses the entire time it took to get up to Serena's room, and she kicked the door closed behind them.

"I don't know if I can be quiet when it comes to you," she said a bit breathlessly as they made their way over to the bed.

"I could always gag you."

"Please, don't. I want my mouth free to rain kisses down upon your skin."

Bernie groaned a little as she nodded, pulling off her shirt before unfastening the buttons on her jeans. Serena reached out and stopped her, wanting some of that pleasure for herself. "Serena?"

"I don't want to rush this. I want to take time and explore tonight, to learn." Stepping forward, she pressed an open mouthed kiss against the scar on Bernie's neck, letting her tongue run up and down its length. "I want to learn every scar and pock mark on your delectable body." Serena dragged her lips down to Bernie's chest, peppering that scar with quick kisses, even as her fingers fumbled with the clasp of Bernie's bra. "I want to memorise how your skin feels beneath my fingers and lips, to know why I should never let you go."

Bernie whimpered as she tipped her hips forward a little, as if she needed to be in closer contact with Serena. The thought made her smile, and she ran her hands down to the buttons on Bernie's jeans, undoing them one by one before tugging them down her legs ever so slowly, revealing skin that was lined with the scars from the IED that had very nearly ended their relationship before it even began. Reverently, she kissed those scars, too before looking up at her dear lioness, taking in the scar she had missed, so close to her newest one from Kiev.

"I didn't know you had a C-section," she murmured as she ran her fingers along that line.

"Charlotte didn't want to come out. I, well, Marcus made me feel like I had failed." Serena frowned as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against that final scar she had uncovered, breathing in deeply. "Oh, god, Serena, I'm going to come before you even do anything to me."

"That keyed up are we?" she asked as she slithered up Bernie's body and ringed her arms around her neck. Though she wanted to be free of her clothes, she also didn't want to let go of Bernie, as those kisses were too enjoyable to stop.

Still, she squeaked a little in surprise when she felt Bernie's hands make short work of her trousers and skimmed them down her legs before slipping her hands beneath the fabric of her pants and cupping her arse, giving it a firm squeeze.

"Two can play at this game, Serena," Bernie said huskily as she tore her lips away from Serena's. "Though you are thoroughly overdressed here."

"And just what are you going to do about that?" she replied, letting one eyebrow tick upwards as she smirked at Bernie.

"This." In one smooth move, Bernie tugged the blouse over Serena's head, and then undid the bra with practiced ease. "Now we're on a level playing field."

"Not really, since you have a little more experience than me." She tried to not sound apprehensive, but she was. This was farther than she'd ever gone with a woman, and it was scary, if she was honest with herself.

Bernie took hold of her hands and Serena calmed a little as she looked into her beloved's eyes. "And this is the first time I've seen the woman I love naked. With Alex, we had to be furtive, we couldn't take time like this. So, I rather think we are even here."

"Oh," she breathed out, stepping forward to kiss Bernie deeply. "I hope that I'm pleasing to you, then."

"More than anything in the world." So many of her fears were allayed by the way that Bernie smiled at her, and she kissed the woman once more. "So, are you ready for this?"

"More than anything in the world," she parroted. They laughed lightly as Bernie gently pushed her down onto the bed. Serena looked up at Bernie, smiling as she straddled her body, her hair falling into her face. "Are you going to take the lead now?"

"If you don't mind." Serena shook her head as she smiled.

"I don't mind at all. In fact, I bow to your delicious experience." Bernie nodded and began to press soft kisses on Serena's face. It was so lovely, to be worshipped like this, and she sighed deeply as she curled her hands into the sheets.

Little moans and grunts spilled from her mouth as Bernie's lips drew a path of fire down her neck, nipping gently at the pulse point before lapping at it with her tongue. "Do you like that?"

"Yes," she moaned, arching her back up, offering her breasts up to be loved on next. They'd always been so sensitive, and it seemed as if Bernie instinctively knew that as she pressed large kisses to the upper swell of her chest. The first loud scream erupted from her lips when Bernie started to suck at her nipple, her tongue fluttering against the taut bud in a way that made her see stars.

"Hush, otherwise Jason will start timing us!" Bernie hissed as she pinched her hip none too gently. Serena nodded and clapped her hand over her mouth in an effort to keep quiet. Bernie just gave her a heated look, and she nodded, parting her legs in clear invitation. She had looked up some of what to expect, and hoped that Bernie would take her time. Edward had never liked going down on her, even though she liked it.

All thoughts of being quiet flew out the window the moment Bernie's lips touched her vulva. "Oh, oh, oh, god, Bernie! Please! Fuck, oh, fuck!" Soon her words dissolved into loud moans and whimpers, the heel of her left hand pressing against her forehead whilst the right tangled in Bernie's hair, holding her close as her orgasm came closer and closer to cresting.

And then, she was bowing her back up impossibly high, the sharp pleasure coursing through her body, even as Bernie continued to eat her out. Through her haze, she could feel the woman gently insert two fingers into her tight channel, stroking her just so, keeping the pleasure rolling through her body. It was electric, really, these feelings that coursed through her system even as Bernie built her up to another fast orgasm.

"Let's try for three," she vaguely heard Bernie say, and couldn't help but wonder if she meant fingers or orgasms. And then, it didn't really matter, as Bernie's tongue fluttered against her clitoris, a third finger started to pump in and out of her willing body, and Bernie's free hand closed around her breast, pinching and tugging on her nipple.

The third orgasm was her strongest in years, and she collapsed back against the bed to stare up at the ceiling as she struggled to catch her breath. "Fuck, Wolfe. I'm going to die."

"But what a death would be."

"Yeah," she replied, welcoming Bernie's body stretching out alongside hers, her hands stroking up and down her torso. "Kiss me?"

"Like this?"

"Yes." Serena smiled as Bernie leaned in and captured her lips in a searing kiss. It was weird, tasting herself on her lover's lips, but thrilling. "That was amazing."

"You were amazing."

"I didn't do anything."

"You let me love you, and I do. I love you." Serena pressed her lips together as she nodded.

"I love you, too," she murmured as she let her head come to rest on Bernie's chest, relishing the feel of her arms wrapping around her waist, holding her close as they let themselves fall asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

"That is something I am so glad to see on your face, Serena."

She looked up at Ric, the smile on her lips growing a little wider as she shrugged. "I finally have something worth smiling about, Ric. We are happy together."

"Really? Because I wouldn't call it that."

Serena's smile faltered a little as she cocked her head to one side, trying to suss out what he meant. "I, I'm sorry?"

He looked guiltily at a spot on her shoulder, as if he knew that he had cocked things up, and she reached out to touch his shoulder. "What I should have said is that you two don't look happy, you look content. And honestly, that is a much better place to be in. Happiness is fleeting, but when you've found someone who makes you content, well, that's just the best feeling in the world."

She relaxed a little as she nodded. "I know that we're still in the midst of a storm, but I think I would rather be here than anywhere else. There's something to be said about finding love's recovery while chaos is erupting around you."

"Stormy weather does tend to make bonds tighter." He gave her a warm smile before dropping a stack of files on her desk. "Though that does not stop the need to get paperwork finished. If you could perhaps see fit to have most of this stack completed by five?"

Serena groaned a little, her happy smile slipping off her lips as she nodded. "I'll do my best."

"That's what I always expect from you." He winked at her before fairly skipping over to the door. "Oh, and Serena?" She looked up at him. "I am so very glad that you are happy, too. You deserve to be happy after everything that you've been through."

She nodded before taking the first file off the stack, knowing that she had to work quickly if she wanted to be done in time to go home with Bernie. Biting her lip slightly, she dug into the work, barely hearing the soft knock on her office door.

Looking up, she saw Bernie standing there, coffees and pastries in hand. "I brought reinforcements!" she sang out as she kicked the door closed behind her.

"Thank God," Serena said as she held out her hand expectantly. Bernie held out her coffee, and she sipped at it, a grateful groan tumbling from her lips. "This is almost better than sex," she teased as she picked up the bag and rummaged through for the chocolate croissant she knew would be at the bottom, almost hidden from view. That was their little joke, and one that she had quickly become accustomed to in the three weeks that they had been exclusive.

"I guess that I'll just have to work a little harder tonight, then," Bernie shot back, and Serena nodded. "Jason is going to be out with his girlfriend, right?"

"Yes, why?" she asked, suddenly wondering how this conversation had taken a weird turn.

"Because we have yet to christen the kitchen table or counter, and since your back is better than mine, you get the table." Bernie gave her a deep wink, and Serena knew that she was blushing as she bent back over her work, nibbling at the confection in an effort to distance herself from her decidedly dirty thoughts. "Is that a blush I see staining those cheeks, Serena?"

"No," she said much too quickly before taking a large bite of her croissant, hoping to use the pastry to put some space and distance between her thoughts and Bernie's looks. It was a losing battle, however, and she sighed as she looked up at Bernie, cocking her eyebrow up a little. "I will thank you to keep those dirty thoughts off your face."

"Why?"

"Because we are at work, and we promised that we would be professional at work."

"Like that's ever stopped the others! Come on, we could sneak away to a supply closet and I could help you relax a little before we both jump into that pile of paperwork on your desk. You know that I have quick and nimble fingers."

Bernie waggled said fingers at Serena, causing her to blush once more. "I swear you do that on purpose, Berenice!" She stood suddenly and grabbed hold of the sleeve of Bernie's scrub top. "And it is going to be my nimble fingers working on you, if we do this. Because you know everything about how to keep quiet, whereas I cannot keep my big mouth shut."

She pulled her out into the hall, casting her eyes about to see if any of the staff were looking at them. Thankfully, it seemed like no one was about, and she dragged her lover to the nearest supply closet, locking the door behind them. "Are you going to make this hard and fast?"

"I was thinking slow and soft, my dear, to drive you absolutely wild." Serena deliberately let her voice drop low, knowing how it got to Bernie every time. Said woman groaned lowly as she tipped her hips forward, and Serena claimed her lips in a searing kiss as she slipped her hand beneath the loose waistband of the scrub bottoms, her fingers running along Bernie's wet heat. "Or do you need me to be quick, darling?"

"Oh, god, Serena, whatever you do, don't tease me. Please!"

She nodded as she fitted her fingers in Bernie's tight channel, loving the silky feel against her digits. And then, Bernie was tugging her close, claiming her lips in a torrid kiss as she thrust her hand into Serena's trousers to stroke and caress her folds before nudging into her body, pumping with the same rhythm that Serena was using on her body. They strove for completion, never ending their kiss, as if they knew that they'd be too loud any other way.

She shuddered through her orgasm, feeling Bernie clench around her fingers as she went over the precipice, too. Finally, she tore her lips away so that she could get a deep breath, resting her forehead against Bernie's. "We can never do this again," she panted out.

"But it was so much fun," her lover teased as she pulled her hand out of Serena's trousers and seductively licked them clean. Serena moaned a little as she shook her head. "That eager for round two?"

"You know that when it comes to you, I live in a perpetual state of want, Bernie." She slowly removed her hand as well, copying her move, and knowing that she'd hit a raw nerve of desire based on the way Bernie's nostrils flared and her pupils dilated. "But we have paperwork to do now, and so our pleasure will have to wait until we're home."

"Ah, Fraulein, how you leave a girl hanging," Bernie muttered as she leaned in and kissed her sweetly. The handle of the door rattled loudly, and Serena gasped as she grabbed hold of Bernie's top. "We'll be fine, I'll go out first and deal with whoever is out there, and you can come out five minutes later."

"Okay." She gave Bernie one more kiss before the woman unlocked and opened the door. That couldn't stop Serena from peeking out, taking in the knowing smirk on Raf's face. "Oh, do wipe that look off your face, Mister di Lucca. We were just working on some inventory," she muttered as she sailed out past him, leaving the pair in her wake, listening to Bernie laugh loudly. Deliberately, she let her hips swing, knowing Bernie would be watching her, a delicious smile on her lips as she thought about the night ahead. Ric was right, it was good to be so content, which she was, here in love's recovery.


End file.
